Main Content

Winterfest: What to Expect from this Magical Festival

Every winter, the banks of Lake Chelan turns into a magical wonderland of lights and activity. Making this possible is a yearly gala flocked by a great number of tourists – the Lake Chelan Valley Winterfest Festival.

Here’s what you should know about this much awaited event:

What is Winterfest?

The Lake Chelan Winterfest is a two-weekend festival that features the best of what the valley has to offer. It has a number of events that show case the area’s amazing wines, delicious food, lively entertainment, and so much more.

The festival used to be a small town tradition hosted by the Lake Chelan Recreation Foundation but it gained popularity over the years. But even if the Winterfest has become a hot tourist destination, it still maintained that small-town charm and intimate feel.

Top events in Winterfest

Wine Tasting

Sip the best of Chelan Valley wine and go to the Tasting Tent in Downtown Lake Chelan. The Tent features17 wineries that will highlight some of their best bottles.

Go to different downtown boutiques and meet with winemakers to discuss their craft at the Saturday Grand Wine Walk. In this event, you will be able to explore and taste dozens of different award-winning wines from Chelan Valley.

Live Ice Carving Competition

Take the whole family to see ice carvers expertly create unique sculptures right before your very eyes. You can vote for the best ice sculptures in the People’s Choice Award. The competition itself will be on Saturday while on the next day, all of the sculptures will be displayed.

Soupfest

Soupfest is the perfect event to warm you up during the cold winter season. Try different soups from restaurants in the Lake Chelan Valley and vote for your favorite.

Bubble Bar

The Bubble Bar is a celebration of brunch and sparkling wine and showcases the outstanding bottles being produced in Lake Chelan .Learn all about how sparkling wines are produced in the valley while you enjoy a catered brunch and a glass of bubbles.

Alefest

The perfect event for beer and cider lovers, Alefest is made up of over 20 cideries and craft breweries in and around the Manson area. Here you can discover the best brews in the Chelan Valley as well as in the Pacific Northwest.

Live Comedy

Poke some good-natured fun into your evenings at the Winterfest with Rotten Apple’s two-night comedy show. This year they are headlining the show with comedian Gabriel Rutledge, seen on Comedy Central’s Live at Gotham, Laughs on FOX, and Inside Joke with Asif Ali on Amazon Prime Video. Rutledgeal so won in Atlanta’s The Laughing Skull Comedy Festival and the Seattle International Comedy Competition.

The Winterfest features many other special family activities like the Polar Bear Splash and Beach Bonfire, Cocoa Crawl, Custom S’mores by the Firepit, Winterfest Games, Jason Sims Magic and Comedy Show, and more.

There’s a number of activities to keep kids entertained such as the Snowflake Lane, horse carriage rides, the Ice Slide, and Apple Bin train rides.

When does Winterfest start?

Winterfest 2019 begins on January 18 and ends January 27. For the complete schedule of events, go to their website here.

Where is Winterfest held?

The first weekend of Winterfest is in Downtown Chelan while the second weekend is held in Downtown Manson.

Where can I buy tickets to Winterfest?

You can purchase your Winterfest passes here. Tickets for some events can be purchased individually as well.

Know more about life in Lake Chelan and your real estate options in the area. Get in touch with one of the most trusted Lake Chelan realtors today by calling Coldwell Banker Lake Chelan Properties at 509-682-7777. You can also send us an email at info(at)cbchelan(dotted)com.